Referrals
Online Specialist Referrals in Australia
Need an online specialist referral? Speak to an AHPRA-registered doctor by phone and, where it is clinically appropriate, have the referral emailed to you the same day.
From $59
Request ReferralWhat's included
What an online specialist referral is
An online specialist referral is the same letter your regular GP would write, produced after a telehealth consultation instead of a visit to a clinic. It names the specialty or the individual specialist, sets out the reason you are being referred, and carries the referring doctor's name and AHPRA registration number so the receiving practice can verify it.
The reason specialists ask for one is financial as much as clinical. A valid referral is what lets a specialist bill the Medicare item numbers that carry a rebate, so without it you usually pay their full fee and claim nothing back. It also gives the specialist your history before you walk in, which is why a referral written after a proper conversation is worth more than a one-line note.
Medio is a private telehealth service, so there is no Medicare rebate on our $59 consultation fee. What you are paying for is the appointment itself, and the referral, pathology request, or prescription that comes out of it where the doctor considers it appropriate.
Which specialists you can be referred to
Skin and allergy
Dermatology and immunology referrals for persistent skin conditions, moles, and allergy investigation.
Mental health
Psychiatry referrals for assessment, diagnosis, and medication review where a specialist opinion is needed.
Eyes, ears, nose and throat
Ophthalmology and ENT referrals for vision changes, hearing loss, sinus problems, and chronic tonsillitis.
Internal medicine
Gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology, and rheumatology for ongoing symptoms that need investigation.
Women's and men's health
Gynaecology and urology referrals for problems that have not settled with first-line treatment.
Bones and joints
Orthopaedic and sports medicine referrals for injuries, joint pain, and problems that have not improved.
Not an exhaustive list. If the specialty you need is not here, ask during your consultation and the doctor will tell you whether a referral is the right step.
What to have ready for your appointment
The consultation is short, so the referral is better when you come prepared. Useful things to have in front of you:
- What the problem is, roughly when it started, and whether it is getting worse.
- What has already been tried, including medications, and whether any of it helped.
- Any recent test or scan results, even if you only have the date and the place they were done.
- The name and practice of the specialist you want to see, if you already have one in mind.
If your situation turns out to need a fuller assessment than a referral consultation allows, the doctor will tell you during the call rather than afterwards.
Online specialist referral FAQs
Book a $59 telehealth appointment and complete the short questionnaire beforehand. Your doctor calls you at the time you booked, asks about the problem and what you have already tried, and where a referral is clinically appropriate they write it and email it to you. Most people have the referral the same day as the call.
Book appointmentThe consultation that produces the referral is $59. There is no separate referral fee, no membership and no subscription. Medio is a private telehealth service, so there is no Medicare rebate on our consultation fee. The specialist you go on to see sets their own fee separately.
Book appointmentThe common ones are dermatology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, ear nose and throat, orthopaedics, gynaecology and urology. If you already know which specialist or clinic you want to see, give the doctor their name and the referral can be addressed to them directly.
Book appointmentA referral written by a general practitioner is normally valid for twelve months, and that twelve months runs from your first appointment with the specialist rather than from the date the referral was written. Referrals written by one specialist to another last three months. For a long-term condition the doctor can write a referral that lasts indefinitely if they judge that appropriate.
Book appointmentYou can be seen by most specialists without one, but a referral is what allows the specialist to bill the Medicare item numbers that carry a rebate. Without a referral you generally pay the specialist's full fee with no rebate at all, which is why almost every specialist rooms asks for one before your first appointment.
Book appointmentYes. Tell the doctor the specialist's name and practice during your call and the referral will be addressed to them. If you have no one in mind the referral can be written to a named specialty instead, which lets you take it to whichever clinic can see you soonest.
Book appointmentA referral to a psychologist that attracts a Medicare rebate normally sits under a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which is a longer assessment and a different document to an ordinary specialist referral. Tell us what you need when you book so the right appointment length is set aside, or ask the doctor during the call what is appropriate for your situation.
Book appointmentNo. The doctor makes the clinical decision, and paying for a consultation does not guarantee a referral any more than it would at a clinic. If the doctor does not think a specialist referral is the right step, they will explain why and tell you what they would do instead. That is the same standard you would get in person.
Book appointmentSpecialists often want results in hand at the first appointment. Your doctor can issue pathology requests during the same consultation where they are clinically indicated, so you are not making a second booking for it. Radiology requests are handled case by case depending on what is being investigated.
Book appointmentYes. Public outpatient clinics accept referrals from any registered medical practitioner, and the referral carries the doctor's name and AHPRA registration number so the clinic can verify it. Public clinics manage their own waiting lists and triage, so the wait depends on them rather than on us.
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